NEW YORK, NEW YORK, June 13, 2001: A UNICEF picture of an Indian mother with her twin children -- a boy and a severely malnourished girl -- has become a symbol of the plight of the girl child in India. The picture has been used to epitomize the discriminatory feeding practices in India at a briefing, "Saving Women's Lives: The Impact of Violence on Safe Motherhood Worldwide", in New York. The briefing also covered issues of the Taliban's role in denying Afghan women adequate healthcare, health status of immigrant women in the US, and domestic violence and abuse of women by present or former partners all over the world. The UN Undersecretary General said, "Violence is something that all countries and classes have in common. One in three women worldwide has probably experienced violence in some form, by someone close to her. It is the result of sex-related abortions that we have 60 million fewer girls than expected."

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NEW YORK, June 18, 2001: Major Buddhist centers have spread throughout the wooded hills and valleys of the Catskills. Academics and others say the Buddhist presence is steadily growing, both in the number of centers and in the increasing variety of their traditions. "The borscht belt has become the Buddhist belt," said Melvin McCleod, the editor of The Shambhala Sun, a leading Buddhist magazine. (The area was called the "Borscht belt" because of the large number of Jewish-oriented hotels built here in the 1950s.) The Dai Bosatsu opened here in 1976. "Some of America's most well-regarded and important Buddhist centers make their home in the Catskills," said Mr. McCleod. There are also several major yoga centers in this area.

BANGALORE, INDIA, JUNE 15, 2001: Now, at the click of a button, families can decide the budget for a marriage or get a wedding manager to take over the task of organizing their entire wedding. Promoted by Indian marketing guru Shunu Sen and one of India's early woman entrepreneurs Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, shaadionline.com is introducing the concept of wedding management in India and to Indians abroad. The facility is expected to be a boon for hard-pressed families, particularly from the Indian diaspora who are often more strict about rituals than their counterparts in their motherland. The site offers full management services or any segment, from the priest to "puja" materials to rituals of 37 Indian communities from Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities. India's wedding market is estimated to be worth US$110 million during the four-month wedding season.

BRADFORD, ENGLAND, June 14, 2001: Allegations that Hindu families are being driven out of their homes by young Muslims have been disputed by local community leaders. Police have confirmed they are aware that tensions between some members of the two communities exist. A local Vishwa Hindu Parishad trustee, whose pharmacy was allegedly firebombed, believes that Muslims have undertaken a systematic ethnic cleansing, citing a 90% reduction of the area's Hindu population over the last 10 years. Muslim leaders have strongly denied that attempts have been made to exclude Hindus from some areas of the city, saying such behavior would not be tolerated. (See following report also.)

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 14, 2001: Tensions between Hindus and Muslims have become evident in the city of Bradford where a 350,000 strong white majority coexists uneasily with 85,000 Asians, predominantly Pakistani Muslims, according to this report. Paresh Mistry, 18, an organizer of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (Hindu Voluntary Corps) in Bradford, says his organization's aim is "to encourage Hindu youths to become good and decent citizens of this country." His group runs cultural activities for people of all ages and weekly sessions are regularly attended by more than 100 members, some as young as five. Mistry says the good work of the club is being undermined by the behavior of Muslim youths intent on provoking Hindu youngsters to react to their taunts. In one recent incident, a gang threw bricks at members attending a club meeting. He insisted that there would be no retaliation. The Vice President of Bradford Council of Mosques admits the existence of unruly Muslim elements, but says there is also a problem with a small minority of Hindus who identify with the right-wing Shiv Sena. He expressed his willingness to meet with Mistry and the police to identify when these problems occur and who the troublemakers are. "These sorts of yobs (hooligans) don't come to the mosques and it is a difficult job to get them into line. They don't listen to elders, they don't listen to police and they don't listen to authority. People practicing their faith properly would not involve themselves in such behavior as violence, disrespectful behavior and rowdyism."

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 10, 2001: Nepalese bade an ancient Hindu farewell to Crown Price Dipendra that they hope will banish the ill fortune that has struck the palace. Dipendra, as Crown Prince, was named king as he lay dying in a coma from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. As for his father just a few days before, the "katto" ceremony required a brahmin priest to deliberately defile himself by eating meat, then dressing as Dipendra and crossing the Bagmati River on elephant back. At first, the elephant appeared reluctant to go. As Nepali dignitaries slapped its buttocks to send the bad luck on its way, the elephant turned and chased them up a narrow path. Once brought under control by the mahouts, it lumbered across the river and away. The priest will be banished for the rest of his life, supported in exile by gifts and money donated by wellwishers anxious to rid the capital of the bad luck that has plunged the nation into crisis.

CHANDIGARGH, INDIA, June 19, 2001: Officials at the British High Commission in New Delhi have come to the rescue of a young Briton of Indian descent who was kept captive by her parents to prevent her from marrying against their wishes. Jaspreet Kaur, 17 and a resident of London, had come to her native village of Bagha Purana in Punjab with her father Jagdish Singh Brar on June 4. She managed to mail a complaint to the British High Commission and asked for immediate help. A police party rescued her and took her to Delhi where the High Commission arranged for her journey to London. This is the second case in the past month in which NRI parents have detained their daughters due to differences over the choice of life partners.

MADURAI, INDIA, June 18, 2001: The 70-year-old she-elephant, Meenakshi, of the Meenakshi Sundereshwarar temple, which served the temple for more than five decades, died on Sunday night after a prolonged illness. Old age and its associated symptoms of illness were said to be the main reason for the death. The body was taken to the Devasthanam's garden at Koodal Senkulam, a city suburb, where she was buried. Worship services were cancelled until her remains were removed from the temple premises. The docile animal had been a house-hold name for temple visitors and led all important temple processions. The temple has two more elephants -- Angayarkanni, age 35 and Parvathi, 4.

SICILY, ITALY, JUNE 16, 2001: A search team has found what is thought to be the wreck of a ship which sank off the Italian coast five years ago with hundreds of illegal immigrants on board, including many Hindus. About 280 people, mainly from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, are believed to have drowned when the ship went down in waters off Sicily in December 1996. Investigations by the Italian and Greek authorities at the time failed to find any trace of the alleged disaster. Survivors told police at the time that they had been forced to board the doomed ship from a larger vessel.

NEW YORK, U.S.A., June 13, 2001: A whopping 1.3 million dollars was raised for the villages in Gujarat at a dinner concert held last Tuesday on Wall Street. At a US$1,000/per plate, the dinner was organized by the American India Foundation. Former President Clinton, an honorary member of the AIF, was a guest speaker at the event.The evening program highlighted Indian music and a fashion show of India's leading designers. However, Clinton was the main attraction at the event and his support was appreciated by the Indian community who gave him a standing ovation when he announced, "What happens in India is one of the three or four most important things that will determine the course of the 21st century."

NEW YORK, June 9, 2001: Some time next year, when you walk into Saks on Fifth Avenue, don't be surprised to see clothes by Indian designers Rohit "Gudda" Bal, Rina Dhaka, Vivek Narang, Tarun Tahiliani and Raghavendra Rathore on the shelves. Their exhibition held at the home of Meera and Vikram Gandhi in Manhattan had the Saks' representatives walk in to take a look at their creations. Jacqueline Lundquist, wife of former U.S. ambassador to India Richard Celeste, played a key role in the event. "I was walking down the street one day in a sari, and I was stopped four times in 12 blocks by people who wanted to know what I was wearing and where they could get it. That was when I realized that there was a market potential for Indian clothes and these guys were all my friends so I decided to start off with a small display," she said. The designers were more than thrilled at the prospect.

NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 21, 2001: In an effort to save India's rivers, the Central Pollution Control Board has been doing some research. CPCB chairman, D.K. Biswas, uncovered information in the 8th century scripture called Brahmanda Purana that prohibits 13 actions on the sacred Ganga. Such actions as ablutions, defecation, throwing of used floral offerings, and discarding garments were all mentioned. All of these actions were forbidden so that the purity of the river could be protected. The CPCB Chairman says, "And present day rituals are the exact opposite of what has been prohibited in our scriptures." Intach water expert Manu Bhatnagar comments that after massive bathing at the solar eclipse the river took a long time to cleanse itself and he also adds that cremation on the river banks should be banned as it is not done properly when remains and ashes are left behind.

ONTARIO, CANADA, June 7, 2001: Two reports appeared recently on the evangelical site, "Persecution.net." The first states, "National and expatriate Christians in India continue to face threats and false accusations, as the Gospel continues to spread throughout the subcontinent. Gladys Staines, widow of Graham Staines, an Australian missionary slain in 1999 along with his two sons, is facing a visa expiration in August and Indian officials have made it clear they do not intend to renew it. The state government is also attempting to repossess the leprosy hospital that Mrs. Staines has been raising funds for, in memory of her husband. Another missionary in the southern state of Karnataka is facing imminent deportation. 79-year-old Francois Marie Godest has served in India since 1948 and has indicated that he wishes to stay in India until he dies. The government, however, is refusing to renew his residence permit." The second says, "On Friday, VOM's Finnish mission, Stephanus-Lahetys Ry, reported that in the last week of May in the village of Funda, Kalahanda area, in Orissa, a Hindu temple was burnt down by an unknown person/persons. The police are investigating the case, but with no results to the present time. Unfortunately, Hindus are accusing Christians of the crime. There are about 100 Christian families living in the area. Shortly after the arson, groups of Hindus began going from one Christian house to another, asking about the incident and threatening the inhabitants. Joseph Senapati, an evangelist who lived in Funda was beaten when, on Monday, June 4th, a Hindu mob came into his house to threaten him. The situation became so dangerous that he had to flee with his family. Four other Christian families have also fled to a safer place, leaving behind their homes, cows and other possessions. There are still nearly a hundred families in the area facing the hatred and violence of Hindu gangs. The Hindus have blocked the roads to prevent Christians from escaping. The police are proving to be of no help to the Christians. Two Christian families have been forced to convert to the Hindu religion."

LUCKNOW, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, May 21, 2001: Lucknow University is leading the way in promoting the ancient science of Astrology and Vedic Rites on its campus. Two hundred university students, many of them girls, have called the three-month long course an unique experience. The curriculum teaches Sanskrit chants, how to perform fire ceremony the correct way and rituals related to birth and cremation, both theoretically and practically.

KATMANDU, NEPAL, June 16, 2001: The witnesses' interviews confirmed widely held suspicions that his parent's opposition to his choice of bride was the provocation for Nepal's crown prince gunning. The government released new details from its report on the June 1 mass killing that shocked this Himalayan nation. One of those present during the shooting was Paras, the son of new King Gyanendra. He said Crown Prince Dipendra's choice of bride, Devyani Rana, had divided the family. "This was the main issue,'' Paras told investigators. Paras said that Dipendra appeared intoxicated when he asked Dipendra what was troubling him. Dipendra replied that it was the marriage issue. Supreme Court Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya and House Speaker Taranath Ranabhat investigated the case for a week before confirming on Thursday that Dipendra was the lone gunman. The report said the 29-year-old prince was drunk and high on hashish. A translation of the official report can be found at www.nepalnews.com/.